Prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (annual value) — Value in Southern Africa
Southern Africa: Prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (annual value) — Value was 12.3 % in 2025. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (annual value) — Value in Southern Africa, 2000–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (annual value) — value in Southern Africa stood at 12.3 %. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 61.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (annual value) — value in Southern Africa peaked at 12.3 % in 2025 and was at its lowest, 4.7 %, in 2005.
Southern Africa ranks 11th of 26 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (annual value) — Value in Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 5.1 % | — |
| 2001 | 4.8 % | -5.9% |
| 2002 | 5.1 % | +6.2% |
| 2003 | 4.9 % | -3.9% |
| 2004 | 4.8 % | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 4.7 % | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 5.1 % | +8.5% |
| 2007 | 5.2 % | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 5.2 % | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5.3 % | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 6.4 % | +20.8% |
| 2011 | 6.4 % | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 % | -6.3% |
| 2013 | 6.3 % | +5.0% |
| 2014 | 6.9 % | +9.5% |
| 2015 | 7.6 % | +10.1% |
| 2016 | 7.3 % | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 7 % | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 7.3 % | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 7.9 % | +8.2% |
| 2020 | 9.7 % | +22.8% |
| 2021 | 11.3 % | +16.5% |
| 2022 | 10.4 % | -8.0% |
| 2023 | 11.3 % | +8.7% |
| 2024 | 12.1 % | +7.1% |
| 2025 | 12.3 % | +1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.02 % | 4.7 % | 5.3 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.91 % | 6 % | 7.9 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.18 % | 9.7 % | 12.3 % | 6 |
More agriculture & rural data for Southern Africa
- Vegetables Primary — Area harvested, annual growth rate 3.29 % change on previous year (2024)
- Roots and Tubers, Total — Production, annual growth rate 6.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep and Goat Meat — Yield/Carcass Weight, annual growth rate 7.69 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep and Goat Meat — Production, annual growth rate 7.87 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep and Goat Meat — Producing Animals/Slaughtered, annual growth -0.9504 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep and Goats — Stocks, annual growth rate -1.58 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sugar Crops Primary — Area harvested, annual growth rate -6.85 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sugar Crops Primary — Yield, annual growth rate 3.23 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sugar Crops Primary — Production, annual growth rate -3.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Edible offal of pigs, fresh, chilled or frozen — Producing 3.5 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (annual value) — value in Southern Africa?
- Prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (annual value) — value in Southern Africa was 12.3 % in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (annual value) — value recorded in Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 12.3 % in 2025.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (annual value) — value recorded in Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.7 % in 2005.
- How does Southern Africa rank for prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (annual value) — value?
- Southern Africa ranks 11th out of 26 groups with data for 2025.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (annual value) — value rising or falling in Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 61.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Southern Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (annual value) — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The Suite of Food Security Indicators presents the core set of food security indicators. Following the recommendation of experts gathered in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) Round Table on hunger measurement, hosted at FAO headquarters in September 2011, an initial set of indicators aiming to capture various aspects of food insecurity is presented here. The choice of the indicators has been informed by expert judgement and the availability of data with sufficient coverage to enable comparisons across regions and over time. Many of these indicators are produced and published elsewhere by FAO and other international organizations. They are reported here in a single database with the aim of building a wide food security information system. More indicators will be added to this set as more data will become available. Indicators are classified along the four dimensions of food security -- availability, access, utilization and stability.